Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 13:20-32 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 13 in context

Scripture Focus

20And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

21And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

22But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.

23And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

25And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

26And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.

27And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.

28And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.

29And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.

30And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

31And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:

32For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

1 Kings 13:20-32

Biblical Context

The text narrates a man of God who disobeys the LORD’s explicit instruction, eats at the wrong place, and is slain by a lion on the road. A later proclamation explains the fate as a consequence of his disobedience.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within this narrative, the outward drama of a lion and a broken command becomes a mirror for your inner state. The 'word of the LORD' that comes to the first prophet is your inner directive from the I AM, the still small voice that bids you obey without consulting the crowd. When the man of God returns to eat and drink, he violates the inner order, and the outer calamity follows not as punishment in a petty sense, but as the natural shadow of misalignment. The old prophet who deceives him stands for the ego that claims authority over your own communion with God; it points to the danger of listening to appearances rather than the pure command within. The lion by the road and the untorn carcass symbolize the tension between external circumstance and inner truth, a space where you may carry the memory of your true vow. The resolution comes when the state of obedience is reclaimed as your living reality; then the inner seed of truth lives through every scene and death becomes a doorway to stronger alignment with the I AM.

Practice This Now

Choose one inner command today and revise every conflicting impulse. Then feel it real, as if you have already obeyed, and observe events align with that inner truth.